Burt Hummel
United States Congressman Burt Hummel is the father of Kurt Hummel, and the stepfather of Finn Hudson. His first wife died when Kurt was around eight years old and later on marries Finn's mother, Carole Hudson in Furt. Burt is presented as a typical "man's man", a mechanic and a football fan. In Grilled Cheesus he almost died after suffering from a heart attack brought on by an arrhythmia, causing him to go into a coma for a period of time. Burt is portrayed by Mike O'Malley. Season One Burt is first mentioned in Acafellas by Kurt, who proudly reveals to his friends the new car his father just bought him. Unfortunately, after the window was smashed by Mercedes, and Burt finds Kurt's collection of tiaras in the trunk, he takes the car back from Kurt as apparent punishment. In Preggers, Burt catches his son, Kurt, along with Brittany and Tina dancing to Single Ladies in his bedroom in spandex costumes. Kurt attempts to explain it with a lie that he is on the football team and that Tina is his girlfriend. He tries to explain to his father that the two girls are helping him with an exercise. Burt believes this and decides to buy a ticket for the big game. After Kurt gets Finn to pull some strings and get him on the football team, it is demonstrated that Kurt is a surprisingly good kicker when he wins the deciding point for the team, making Burt proud and euphoric, remarking to Kurt afterward that he wishes his mother were there alive, and that she would have been proud of him. After the football game, Kurt admits that he is gay, but Burt says he already knows and accepts Kurt. In Wheels, Burt complains to Principal Figgins about Kurt not being able to sing Defying Gravity in Glee Club. Figgins is persuaded by Burt to let Kurt and Rachel go head to head. Just before the "diva-off", Burt gets an anonymous phone call, with the caller making homophobic comments. Kurt finds out and purposefully blows the audition for the song. When Burt finds out he becomes furious that his son threw his chance, especially after he went up to bat for him with the Principal and Will. Kurt however tells Burt that he did it so he wouldn't be emotionally hurt by the fact that his son is not only gay, but also doing a girl song. Burt is still disappointed that his son gave up his chance, but proud of his son's strength to give up something he loved for his father, telling Kurt that he is a lot like his mother. In Home, during a Parent-Teacher conference, Kurt introduced Burt to Carole Hudson, who lost her own husband during the Gulf War, in the hopes that it would spark romance, and thus hoping that would result in him and Finn Hudson (who Kurt has a crush on) to grow closer. The plan works spectacularly as Burt and Carole fall in love with each other fast and hard. However, when Finn discovers the romance he is not pleased, afraid that Burt is erasing his deceased father's memory. Finn is initially cold towards Burt when the two families sit down for a 'family' dinner of sorts. However, he begins to warm up to Burt when they begin to talk about sports. While Carole is content about this, Kurt feels left out and hurt by his father's new friendship with Finn. That night, Burt confronts Kurt about his behavior, with Kurt stating he couldn't remember the last time his father was that open with him. Burt retorts that he would never change who Kurt is, and that he expects Kurt to do the same for him. Kurt dismisses him with tears in his eyes, and as he leaves, Burt asks whether Kurt introduced him for to Carole for their sake, or for his own (implying that he is aware of Kurt's feelings for Finn). Kurt suggests that he and Finn break Burt and Carole up, but Finn's attempt fails when his mother tells him that she is happy with Burt. When she later invites Burt over, Burt tells Finn that he really does love Carole and that he will do everything he can to make her happy. Accepting the relationship, Finn invites Burt to watch a basketball game, and sit in his deceased father's chair. Unknown to Finn and Burt, Kurt watches the father/son-like interaction, with tears in his eyes, apparently feeling as if he's lost his father. In Laryngitis, Kurt is upset when Burt takes Finn to a baseball game. He then starts going out with Brittany, dressing like Burt, speaking in a lower voice, and singing John Mellencamp songs in order to impress him, but soon realizes that it doesn't get him any closer to his father. Out of worry for Kurt, Burt cancels some bonding time with Finn to find Kurt doing a spectacular rendition of Rose's Turn where he remarks that Kurt is an amazing singer and promises he'll try to spend more time with his son. In Theatricality, Carole and Finn move in with Kurt and Burt. After Kurt and Finn argue over the intimacy and decor in their room, Finn uses homophobic language to describe Kurt's furnishing choices. Burt overhears this and becomes furious to the point of almost becoming violent. He aggressively tears into Finn for his behaviour, refusing to listen to his protestations and tells him that Kurt will always come first to him. He then decides it was a bad idea to have Finn and his mother living with them and kicks Finn out of the house. Season Two In Season 2, Mike O'Malley, who plays Burt Hummel, was upgraded to a series regular. In Grilled Cheesus, it is revealed that Burt and Carole have continued their relationship despite the incident with Finn and Kurt the previous year. Burt and Kurt get into an argument over "family dinner night", an event that the Hummel family had done ever since Kurt's mother had been alive, and something they continued since her death, and that Burt considered to be sacred. Burt tries to convince Kurt to join the dinner with him, Carole and Finn, but Kurt would rather go to a showing of Sing-Along Sound of Music, which he has been looking forward to all year. This upsets Burt as Kurt has been canceling more and more of their plans together, but Kurt claims that he's a teenager and that he has a busy life, which causes Burt to admit his disappointment to Kurt for not seeing the important things in life. Later, Burt is handling a customer and suddenly falls over from a heart attack, which sends him into a coma. Kurt is informed of his father's condition by Will Schuester and Emma Pillsbury, both of whom go to the hospital with him. Over the next week, Kurt's friends all attempt to offer both friendship and spiritual support to Kurt and Burt, though Kurt rejects their religious beliefs with increasing anger. Mercedes later tells Kurt that while he might not believe in God, he should at least believe in something. Taking her words to heart, Kurt tells his father that he believes in him, pleading him to return. Kurt is overjoyed when he suddenly feels his father's grip tighten slightly around his hand. In Duets, Burt is seen being cared for by Kurt following his release from the hospital. When Kurt has an argument with Finn about the new kid Sam Evans being his duet partner and latest crush, he confesses his annoyance with Finn to his father. Burt and Kurt then become engaged in a slightly heated conversation, during which Burt notes that Kurt hasn't been entirely honest with him, as he heard from Carole about Kurt's infatuation with Finn. Burt then explains that while Kurt is a strong boy, not everyone is like him, and that it might not be fair to put Sam into a position that could cause him unfair problems, and that perhaps its best to let things run at their own pace. Kurt comes to accept both Finn and Burt's words, reluctantly ending the team-up with Sam before he can suffer any major ramifications. In Furt, Burt and Carole Hudson reveal to Finn and Kurt that they are getting married, and they ask Kurt to be the wedding planner. Burt states he doesn't care about what kind of food or booze or how the wedding looks, so long as Kurt gets a great band to perform. Kurt offers up New Directions. Later, while Kurt is giving Finn and Burt dancing lessons, Dave Karofsky (a bully who is attracted to Kurt in an unsettling manner, but who also refuses to admit his own homosexuality) teases Kurt and Finn, angering Burt, who rushes after Karofsky and throws him up against the wall. The situation causes acting principal Sue Sylvester to call Karofsky's dad to the school. Mr. Karofsky notes that Dave has been acting different and surprisingly takes Kurt's side. Upon Kurt telling Sue that Karofsky threatened to kill him, Sue expels Karofsky. Burt and Carole marry, making Finn and Kurt stepbrothers. At the reception, Finn says that "Furt" has been born and he has Kurt's back no matter what it costs him, cementing the family bond between them all. Sue reveals that the school board has over-rode her expulsion of Karofsky and that he'll be returning the next day. Kurt leaves the office where he runs into Burt and Carole who offer to use their honeymoon money to pay for Kurt's tuition at Dalton Academy, feeling that it is safer for him to be there than at William McKinley High School. In The Sue Sylvester Shuffle, Burt is seen cheering on Finn's football game, and later seen watching New Directions' performance of Thriller/Heads Will Roll. In Blame It on the Alcohol, Burt finds out that Blaine got drunk, and is sleeping in Kurt's bed. When Burt asks Kurt about this, he said he let Blaine spend the night after he got drunk. Burt thinks they had sex, but Kurt said they didn't. Burt then makes it clear with Kurt that he can't have anymore gay boys spending the night. Kurt, very upset, asks Burt to inform himself on Boys, so that he can help Kurt. In Sexy, Burt receives information from Blaine that Kurt doesn't know anything about sex. Blaine said that Burt should help Kurt with this, because it's really important. Burt takes Blaine's advice to heart and talks to Kurt. Burt tells Kurt that men often think sex is just sex, so he wants Kurt to wait until he knows it's special. He tells Kurt that he means a lot, and he doesn't want to see him having sex with another guy if it doesn't mean anything. Kurt asks when he can have sex, and he said it'll be a nice gift for him when he's thirty. In Born This Way, Burt is back for a couple of minutes defending Kurt against Dave once again. While Dave was trying to get him to come back Burt was talking about how Dave had threatened Kurt's life and how he and Carole had to spend money they didn't have so Kurt could go to private school so he could be safe. In Prom Queen, Burt helps Kurt decide his prom outfit. When Kurt comes in with a kilt on, Burt tells him that he will be made fun of for it. Kurt's new boyfriend, Blaine Anderson, agrees as well. However he wears it to the Prom, and eventually gets crowned Prom Queen. Season Three In Season 3, Mike O'Malley was demoted back to recurring cast. In I Am Unicorn, Rachel talks to Finn who now works in Burt's shop. Burt advises Kurt to show who he really is, with respect to his candidacy for class president. In Pot O' Gold, Burt becomes a candidate running for the House of Representatives against Sue, in order to ensure that the arts are not canceled. In Mash Off, he, Sue and Will inform Santana of the political attack ad that features her in it. Burt offers to help with her parents since he had his own experience with Kurt. Santana tearfully tells them her family doesn't know of her own sexuality before running away. In I Kissed a Girl, Burt finally wins against Sue. He is in Principal Figgins' office with Kurt when Kurt is suspected to have stuffed the ballot box for the student council election. In Yes/No, Burt wants to know why Finn wants to join the army. He is present in the scene where Carol tells Finn the truth about his father. Personality Like his son, Burt is a very caring individual and above all, loving towards his son who he treasures above all else. Having lost the love of his life, when their son was only a small child, Burt has never quite gotten over the loss. As such he has done his best to be a good father, perhaps to the point of spoiling Kurt such as buying him expensive designer clothing and a very impressive car (a Lincoln Navigator) for his sweet 16. While Burt does not pretend to fully understand Kurt, he is very accepting of his gay son. However, Burt fears for how Kurt might suffer because of his sexuality. As such, he is immensely proud of Kurt for being as resilient and strong as he is, which Burt says he gets from his mother. He also says that even though he wished he could take him out to games, he is still proud of him and for being in the glee club. While Burt is generally fair-minded and reasonable, he is quick to anger when Kurt is victimized in any way, and is fiercely protective of him. When Kurt was denied the chance to sing "Defying Gravity", Burt angrily confronted Mr. Schuester and the principal for discrimination against his son. When Finn, in a moment of anger, raged at Kurt and called his choices of decoration "faggy", Burt exploded in anger, throwing Finn out of his home for his homophobic behavior. Burt showed a similar reaction to when Dave Karofsky insulted Kurt with a limp-wrist hand gesture, going so far as to throwing the teenage boy against a wall and threatening to hurt him for his transgressions against Kurt. This violent behavior appears to stem partly from a feeling of guilt for not protecting his son earlier in life, as alluded to in his confrontation with Finn in Theatricality. Although Burt does his best to be a good father to Kurt, there is no doubt there they are very different people, making the things they have in common rare. Trivia *Played football in high school and junior college. *Busted his knee popping a wheelie on his dirt bike in junior college. *Used to have a Coke and two Slim Jims for breakfast, until Kurt got around to making his breakfast. According to him, it's the "breakfast of champions." *He's Christian. *He used to be a terrible cook, so he got Kurt to cook for him. *Usually wears caps and vests. *He isn't a very good dancer. *He's the first glee character to have a life-threatening experience (Grilled Cheesus). *He has by far the largest role of any of the glee kids' parents, appearing in more than half the show's episodes so far; not only in his son's storylines, but also his own, and even those of other students, such as being the first person to realize Santana had been publicly outed as a lesbian and offering to talk to her parents (Mash Off). Quotations Category:Characters